Nominative determinism

Nominative determinism is a term created and popularised in the magazine New Scientist. It refers to amusing instances where people's names suggest key attributes of their jobs, professions, or lives, with the implication that their names have influenced their lives.

Technically "Mr. Bunn the baker" is nominative determinism, but real examples are more highly prized, the more obscure the better.

New Scientist occasionally resumes the publication of these items in its "Feedback" section, and usually has to call a halt soon afterwards as readers send in floods of examples.

Synonyms and/or related concepts include aptronym, apronym, aptonym, jobonymns, namephreaks, onomastic determinism, Perfect Fit Last Names (PFLNs), psychonymics, and classically nomen est omen or όνομα ορίζοντας. ND researchers are comiconomenclaturists.

A key related word is Aptronym, allegedly coined by United States newspaper columnist Franklin P. Adams, meaning a name aptly suited to its owner. The distinction is subtle but fundamental: as post-hoc vs propter-hoc, so Aptronym vs Nominative Determinism.

Origin and meaning

The term Nominative Determinism is a coinage of the Feedback column in the British popular science journal New Scientist, stemming from this item in 1994:

"WE recently came across a new book, Pole Positions - The Polar Regions and the Future of the Planet, by Daniel Snowman. Then, a couple of weeks later, we received a copy of London Under London - A Subterranean Guide, one of the authors of which is Richard Trench. So it was interesting to see Jen Hunt of the University of Manchester stating in the October issue of The Psychologist: "Authors gravitate to the area of research which fits their surname." Hunt's example is an article on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology (vol 49, pp 173-176, 1977) by J. W. Splatt and D. Weedon. (This really does exist. We've checked it.)

We feel it's time to open up this whole issue to rigorous scrutiny. You are invited to send in examples of the phenomenon in the fields of science and technology (with references that check out, please) together with any hypotheses you may have on how it comes about. No prizes, other than seeing your name in print and knowing you have contributed to the advance of human knowledge."

However, an earlier and widely documented instance of the concept that someone's name could influence their choices or behaviour, and hence their life, was Carl Jung's seminal paper on synchronicity in 1952:

"We find ourselves in something of a quandary when it comes to making up our minds about the phenomenon which Stekel calls the 'compulsion of the name'. What he means by this is the sometimes quite gross coincidence between a man's name and his peculiarities or profession. For instance ... Herr Feist (Mr Stout) is the food minister, Herr Rosstäuscher (Mr Horsetrader) is a lawyer, Herr Kalberer (Mr Calver) is an obstetrician ... Are these the whimsicalities of chance, or the suggestive effects of the name, as Stekel seems to suggest, or are they 'meaningful coincidences'?"

Jung further noted, with an early foreshadowing of the irony that New Scientist later brought to the topic, suggestions of nominative determinism among his fellow psychologists, including himself:

"Herr Freud (Joy) champions the pleasure principle, Herr Adler (Eagle) the will to power, Herr Jung (Young) the idea of rebirth…"

Although various academics have argued that names influence people's lives, New Scientist itself took a more equivocal position:

"So let the last word go to Andrew Lover, who writes to us expressing the earnest hope that nominative determinism is a real phenomenon. We hope so too, young Lover."

Cultural Contexts and Practice

Children's Names: The naming of babies using nominative determinism is present in various cultures. In Asian cultures, children are named by parents in the hope that their names will lead them to achieve and attain the qualities inherent in the chosen first name. The aide of astrology is sought extensively to determine the character, alphabet and the actual name that would be ideal given the time and location of the child's birth.

Monasticism: Furthermore, the conversion from the laity to the monastic is accompanied often by the change in name . E.g. Peter Betts, upon becoming a monk, assumed the title of Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera or Ajahn Brahm.

Religious conversion: Biblical names or occidental names are considered Christian names. Similarly, names from the Arab or the Persian cultures are considered Muslim names. Such names are assumed by converts to those faith and are considered as pre-requisite for preserving the cultural coherence of the faith group.

These names may be determined by the clergy of the welcoming faith or indeed by the convert himself / herself. In either case, the notion of nominative determinism is a strong motivation, in the sense that the adoption of a new name fulfills and defines the criteria of membership to an in-group. And the change of name seals the conversion and receiving process for both the convert and community with the promise of a renewed social and cultural identity.

Spurious nominative determinism

The mere coincidence of a name's meaning ("Snowman") or pronunciation ("Weedon") with a behaviour or circumstance is not sufficient to constitute nominative determinism. The key requirement is causation: the name must have preceded, and hence impliedly influenced the likelihood of, that behaviour or circumstance.

This is illustrated by the example of Marina Stepanova, who was an elite hurdler, achieving a world record in 1986. However, she chose to enter the sport, and achieved her early athletic success, under her maiden name Marina Makeyeva and only later married into a far more apt name. Her later name cannot have influenced her earlier life.

Marina Stepanova is an example of an aptronym which is not nominative determinism.

Examples

• Eugen Fischer, a Nazi German professor of eugenics.
• Lord Brain, leading neurologist and peer of the realm.
• Frances Crook, director of the Howard League for Penal Reform.
• S. Marc Breedlove, who wrote on sexual dimorphism for the Journal of Neuroscience.
• Reg Empey, member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast; his job is equivalent to the role of "MP".
• John Tory, former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. In Canada, the members of the federal Conservative Party of Canada and the provincial Progressive Conservative parties are known as Tories.
• Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, started in the family business of raising Black Angus bulls.
• Lord Justice Judge, current Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales.
• Derek and Dale Kickett, players of Australian Rules Football.
• Tom Lehrer was a Harvard University math professor, and Lehrer is the German for (male) teacher.
• Cardinal Sin, former Archbishop of Manila.
• Anna Smashnova the Israeli tennis player.
• Larry Speakes, a Whitehouse spokesman to several Presidents, most notably Ronald Reagan.
• Scott Speed, Formula 1 race car driver, similarly NASCAR driver Lake Speed.
• Margaret Spellings, Secretary of Education in the United States Government.
• J.W. Splatt and D. Weedon, urologists who published several papers on incontinence together. It was discussion of Splatt and Weedon that led New Scientist to coin the term in the first place.
• Mikhail Tsvet, botanist who invented chromatography: his name in Russian means both "flower" and "colour".
• Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal FC.
• Wolfgang Wolf, former manager of German football club VFL Wolfsburg.
• Eduard Wolff, a judge, killed the last wolf in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on April 24, 1893.
• Usain Bolt, world 100m and 200m record holder.
• Noah Coad, Microsoft program manager for the Visual Studio platform.
• Stephen Rowbotham, Olympic rower for the GB team.
• Rollie Fingers, MLB pitcher.
• Peter Fryer, Professor of Food Engineering, University of Birmingham
• Ira Tator, Toronto-based realtor.
• Mark Avery, Conservation Director of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds)
• Morgan Sparks, American engineer who was instrumental in the development of the transistor
• Stephen Rolles, information officer for the Transform Drug Policy Foundation, a group which seeks to legalise and regulate currently illegal drugs.
• Alan F. Heavens and Charles M. Telesco, astronomers.
• Thomas Crapper, inventor of the ballcock.
• Rick Wagoner, Chief Executive of General Motors
• Philander Rodman, father of 27 children, one of whom Dennis Rodman.
• Carla Dove, Ornithologist [1]

Research into nominative determinism

• Bennett, HJ. (1992-12-02). "A piece of my mind. Calling Dr Doctor". JAMA. 268 (21): 3060. doi:10.1001/jama.268.21.3060. PMID 1306061. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) commented on by Balestra and Hug (below):
  • Balestra, DJ. (1993-04-07). "Dr Doctor calls back". JAMA. 269 (13): 1637. doi:10.1001/jama.269.13.1637c. PMID 8455293. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  • Hug, Hr. (1993-04-07). "Dr Doctor calls back". JAMA. 269 (13): 1637. doi:10.1001/jama.269.13.1637b. PMID 8455294. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Casler, L. (1975). "Put the Blame on Name". Psychol Rep. 36 (2): 467–472.
• Christenfeld, N (1999). "What's in a name: Mortality and the power of symbols". J Psychsom Res. 47 (3): 241–254. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(99)00035-5. PMID 10576473. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Cole, C (2001-02-09). "Is work calling your name?". George Street Journal. 25. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
• Dickson, P. (1996). What's in a name?. Springfield MA.: Merriam-Webster.
• Joubert, CE. (1985). "Factors Related To Individuals Attitudes Toward Their Names". Psychol Rep. 57 (3): 983–986.
• Luscri, G (1998). "Surname effects in judgments of mock jurors". Psychol Rep. 82 (3): 1023–1026. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Michalos, Christina (2009-04-02). "In the Name of the Law". Counsel Magazine the Journal of the Bar Council: 16–18. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |link= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
• Murphy, WF (1957). "A Note on the Significance of Names". The Psychoanalytic Quarterly. 26: 91–106.
• Nuessel, F (1994). The Study of Names. Greenwood Press.
• Slovenko, R (1983). "The Destiny Of A Name". J Psychiatry Law. 11 (2): 227–270.
• Slovenko, R (1980). "On naming". Am J Psychother. 34 (2): 208–219. PMID 7386692. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Strumpfer, DJW (1978). "Relationship Between Attitudes Toward Ones Names And Self-Esteem". Psychol Rep. 43 (3): 699–702.

External links

• Aptonyms - Canadian Aptonym Centre
• The Doctor's Names List
• Funny Doctors' Names